1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to coverings for architectural openings and, more particularly to an insert adapted to be placed in an architectural opening to simulate a divided light opening with the insert including a plurality of shade components to cover each simulated opening.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Coverings for architectural openings have taken numerous forms for many years with early coverings simply consisting of fabric draped across the architectural opening in various aesthetic orientations. Draperies are another common form of covering wherein a fabric material is typically pleated along an upper marginal edge, and suspended along the top edge of an architectural opening and mounted so that the pleated material can be moved between an extended position across the architectural opening and a retracted position adjacent one or both sides of the architectural opening.
More recent coverings have taken the form of Venetian blinds wherein horizontal slats of material are suspended in spaced relationship in an architectural opening on tape ladders such that the slats can be elevated into a stacked relationship adjacent the top of the opening or suspended in uniformly spaced relationship across the architectural opening. The slats can further be rotated about their longitudinal axes to permit or block the passage of vision and light through the covering.
Similarly, vertical blinds have vertically oriented slats that operate very similarly to the horizontally oriented slats of a Venetian blind and, again, the vertically oriented slats can be evenly distributed across the opening or retracted adjacent to one or both sides of the opening. They further can be rotated about vertical axes to block or permit the passage of vision and light through the covering.
More contemporary shades have been referred to as cellular shades wherein adjacent interconnected cells are adapted to be extended across an architectural opening. The interconnected cells can also be collapsed or gathered adjacent the top or bottom of the architectural opening in a retracted position or wrapped around a roller in the retracted position. Some cellular products include horizontal or vertically extending vanes that can be manipulated to block or permit the passage of vision or light through the covering even when it is extended across the architectural opening.
Coverings of the aforenoted type are utilized in many types of architectural openings including windows, doors, archways and the like, and in the case of glass paneled architectural openings, it does not matter whether there is an opening with one large panel of glass or an opening with a plurality of individual smaller units of glass referred to as divided light openings.
In fact, large glass panels that may totally cover an architectural opening have been aesthetically divided into a plurality of smaller units by use of an insert having horizontal and vertical crisscrossing frame components that thereby define square or rectangular passages therethrough so that when the insert is positioned in overlying relationship with the large glass panel, the glass panel has the appearance of a plurality of smaller individual glass units. Such inserts have the advantage of being readily removable so that the larger glass panel can be easily cleaned. When an insert of this type is used, the opening is referred to as a simulated divided light opening.
The aforenoted coverings for architectural openings are typically designed to totally cover an entire architectural opening as opposed to individual smaller units within a divided light opening or a simulated divided light opening. It will be appreciated, however, that a totally different aesthetic look could be created with a covering for an architectural opening wherein each individual unit or various combinations of units defined in a simulated divided light opening had its own covering component.
An undesirable feature of prior art coverings for architectural openings resides in the fact that most of the coverings are operated by control cords which have been accepted for utilitarian purposes but are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing. A retractable architectural covering which did not require such cords would, therefore, be desirable.
It is further desirable in some environments to have a covering for an architectural opening which is retractably mounted for movement across the opening but which is totally hidden from view when in a retracted condition. In other words, in some environments, while it is desirable to have a covering that can be extended across an architectural opening to control vision and the passage of light, it may also be desirable that the covering be hidden from view when retracted so that an observer would not even realize the opening had a covering associated therewith.
It should also be appreciated that when moving a retractable covering between extended and retracted positions, which is typically accomplished with a pull or lift cord system, numerous pulling strokes by the operator of the covering may be required. In other words, to move a covering from a fully retracted to a fully extended position, an operator needs to apply several pulling strokes on the cord in order to obtain a full extension or retraction of the covering. Gearing could be provided to reduce the number of strokes necessary to fully move the covering between extended and retracted positions but the work required to move the covering is correspondingly increased. Accordingly, an improved system for extending and retracting coverings for architectural openings with a minimal stroke and no excessive work would be desirable.
It is to overcome the shortcomings in the prior art noted above that the present invention has been developed.
The architectural covering of the present invention takes the form of a framed insert sized and configured to overlie an architectural opening. By way of example, if the architectural opening were a window, having a glass panel therein, the insert would fit within the confines of the window frame so as to define a simulated divided light window having the appearance of a window with a plurality of small individual glass panels. The insert itself has vertical and horizontal dividers or muntins that are surrounded by a peripheral framework and each horizontal or vertical divider might include one or more covering components so that each simulated individual panel or unit defined by the insert has the appearance of a covering component associated therewith.
The covering components could take numerous forms such as a cellular shade, Venetian blind, roll up shade or the like. Accordingly, the covering components may be alternately referred to as shade components. The division of the covering for the architectural opening into a plurality of component units to cover one or more simulated panels in the architectural opening provides not only a unique appearance for an architectural covering but also a unique mechanism for unitarily operating each covering component simultaneously.
In accordance with the present invention, behind a vertical or horizontal divider or muntin in the insert, a roll-up or stacking mechanism is provided so as to be substantially invisible to someone within the building structure in which the insert is mounted. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a simple manually operable slide is positioned along the framework for the insert so that movement of the slide in one direction causes the individual covering components to selectively extend across a simulated panel or panels to which they are associated and a sliding movement of the operable slide in the opposite direction causes the covering components to retract into a hidden position behind the horizontal or vertical divider.
It will be appreciated from the detailed description that follows that a covering in accordance with the present invention is designed to have at least first and second parallel but separated support elements on which retractable coverings are mounted. A drive mechanism is coupled to at least one of the support elements in a manner such that the plurality of coverings are operated from a single drive mechanism.
It will further be appreciated from the description that follows that the architectural covering is hidden when retracted and the drive mechanism for operating the covering is also substantially hidden so that an observer is virtually unaware that a covering exists when the covering is fully retracted.
Another feature of the present invention which will become apparent with the detailed description that follows resides in the fact that the operating system or drive mechanism for moving the covering between extended and retracted positions entails a mechanism that requires a very short stroke to fully move the covering between extended and retracted positions and without any additional effort than required for conventional architectural coverings.
Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.